Destined Adventure
by Sara Sidle Grissom
Summary: Continues where 'At World's End' ended. Elizabeth is on an island, waiting for Will and Jack is looking for a new adventure, the Fountain of Youth. Will he find it and will he be alone? Sparrabeth.
1. Prologue

_A/N: I started this story quite some years ago and posted it on my livejournal (something with missy_myra, I can't for the life of me remember) and recently re-read it. I have a prologue and two chapters done and I intend to start working on this again. Since it's old it was written after the third movie (At World's End) and before the fourth movie (On Stranger Tides). This is my take on the Fountain of Youth and the ending of AWE. Hope you'll enjoy :)_

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**Prologue**

Jack grabbed his bottle of rum, bringing it to his lips with a satisfied smirk. But… the scent of rum was all that could be caught as it mingled in the air, invading his senses. Empty.

"Bloody empty," he growled to no-one as he threw the bottle over board. He looked around for more, but came up with none. He'd just emptied his last bottle of rum. "Great, always gone," he sighed as he opened his compass, looking at the spinning needle.

Why was the rum always gone anyway? It seemed to be his luck really. Anywhere he was, there was no rum in sight. Either Gibbs drank it all, or it had magically disappeared to somewhere. Maybe Elizabeth had been right, maybe he did drink too much.

For a moment his thoughts drifted to the young, adventurous spirit he had had the pleasure of knowing. She was vibrant and courageous, and daft;daft like him. He remembered how her beautiful gold coloured strands of hair swayed in the wind as she looked over the railing. Her eyes seeming to catch so much more than others. And when she would look at him, her eyes would hold this sparkle, magical. She made many men go weak just by looking at them like that, and Captain Jack Sparrow was no exception to that. Although he wouldn't admit it, not to anyone, not even to himself; but that woman had him under her spell. So he knew, he knew that if she asked him to be hers, he would say yes without even having to think for a second. That was before… before she killed him.

Yes, she did come to save him too. But did she come to save him just because she missed him? He doubted it. They needed him, the Brethren did. 'Lot of good that did,' he thought to himself as his hand touched the little tooth dangling on his forehead. He missed his coin. He remembered he had cursed Barbossa for doing what he'd done, freeing Calypso like that, but in end it had been for the better.

He never thought he'd ever admit it, but Hector Barbossa seemed to know what he was doing.

The needle of the compass pointed steadily ahead of him, and Jack grabbed his miniature telescope and looked out at the land he saw.

"It can't be…" he whispered to himself as he realized that the spit of land ahead of him looked awfully familiar. "There'll be no livin' with her after this," he said and shook his head. He couldn't help but wonder why. Why did his compass point to that damned island? But he knew,of course he knew.

_Elizabeth._

"Why is it always 'bout her?" He grumbled as he fixed his hat, preparing to face her.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Decided to add chapter 1 straight away, it might make it more understandable which direction I'm taking. Please enjoy!_

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**Chapter 1 **

This island. This godforsaken spit of land in the middle of the Caribbean. Was that really the best they could come up with? Was this the place where she had to wait for her husband -it still sounded so surreal- once every ten years? She wasn't even sure if this island was habituated, and she wasn't very keen to find out. She'd heard about Will's adventure on the island of the Pelegostos, and decided to lay low until she could find a way to get off the island.

Elizabeth let out a sigh she felt she had been holding since Will left. This wasn't right, this couldn't be the way she was meant to spend her life. She didn't belong at land anymore, she belonged at sea. Her life used to be safe and all planned ahead, set to marry a man with a good name, getting children and becoming the woman she vowed never to be. That was before she met Jack... Captain Jack Sparrow. He'd showed her, with the others, what it meant to live a life at sea. She'd despised him, his lack of moral and his bad manners. But eventually, it had all turned around.

Jack Sparrow was a good man. He was a good man in his own way. A good pirate. He wasn't the kind of man her father had wanted for her, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him herself. It had crossed her mind more than once she had to admit, but he was a pirate, and he also was much older than her. But he used to be the man she dreamed of when she was a little girl, when she was lying in her bed at night, after reading a book about all his adventures. She had pictured herself at his side, sailing the seas with him.

Reality turned out to be quite different. He wasn't as courageous as she had pictured him, sometimes he could even be a complete coward. He was as handsome as she had expected him to be though. His dark brown eyes, his tanned skin… rough as the sea. He was a gorgeous man, and he damn well knew it himself. He could have any woman he wanted, including her, she realized that now.

But she couldn't do this, he would always be an old fantasy. She would never live a life with him beside her, except for her dreams. In those they would sail the seas together, the most fearsome pirates of the world. She smiled a bit to herself, remembering their evening at the beach. _Not just the Spanish Main love, the entire ocean, the entire world._

But those were just silly dreams, and she knew they would never come true. They could never come true. Still she wanted it, even now after being married to Will, maybe even more now. She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. They were wrong. She belonged to Will, she loved Will.

"It must be the heat," she whispered to herself as she slowly lowered herself down in the warm sand, looking out over the beach. "And the thirst," she added as she slowly rubbed the side of her face. She hoped to see the familiar ship with black sails again, to come pick her up and take her with them for yet another adventure.

"A Pirate King shouldn't have to live on land," she muttered as she stretched out her legs, crossing the right over the left by the ankles. She leaned on her hands, which were placed slightly behind her. The sun glowed upon her face and Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment, relishing in the feeling of warmth.

After a while she opened them again, spotting a sail on the horizon. She stood up and squinted. "It can't be," she whispered as she stood up, walking into the sea a few steps. She couldn't see a flag or any sign on the little boat, and it least of all was the Black Pearl. Who would sail to an island like this? There was only one name that came to her mind, but she wasn't sure if she was right, maybe it was just wishful thinking.

She decided to wait, hiding a bit against the edge of the forest, in case it was an enemy. You never knew who you could trust.

Jack allowed the little boat to slowly slide on the white sandy beach and jumped out, pulling it up further and securing it with a pin in case of high water. "Rum," he muttered as he slowly staggered up the beach, the sand so soft his boots slowly sank into it.

When Elizabeth saw the familiar figure swaying towards her, she came out from between the trees. "Jack!" She grinned brightly, but when he looked at her she tried to hide her excitement. "What are you doing here?"

They'd said their goodbyes, kind of awkwardly, only hours ago. Why was he here now? Was it something he needed from her? Was it something he had for her? She shook her head slightly at that last thought. Jack would never share. "Why are you here Jack?" She asked again when she realized he hadn't answered her yet.

He approached her, wobbling on his feet, let out a sigh as his hands were wavering somewhere mid-air. His lips twitched a bit. "Lizzie…," he started.

"Jack don't," she started, the use of her nickname startling her for a second, it'd been a while since she'd been called that. He was the only one who did… the only one that was allowed to, and hearing him say it again, in his seductive scratchy voice, made her knees go weak and her heart go crazy with want. But she couldn't, she had made a promise to Will, a marital promise.

"You just went back to the life you vowed you'd never have, didn't you? Marrying Will and becoming a land wench," Jack continued, his tone serious. "Your dream long forgotten, your wish to be a pirate…," he sighed and looked out over the sea. "You were Lizzie, you were a pirate, and I don't believe the words are coming out of me mouth, but you were a good pirate," he grinned a little bit.

Elizabeth had to fight very hard not to smile at that one. Jack wasn't the kind of man to sprawl compliments out to everyone, but she'd received a few from him in the past.

"Missus Turner, can you do an ol' pirate a favour and grab some rum?"

Elizabeth's expression saddened at the tone he had used when he had said her name, but then she chuckled a bit. "Sorry Jack, I don't have any rum here," she said as she watched his facial expression. His eyebrows rose as his eyes widened, his lips curving in a small 'O'.

She composed quickly and thought of something to say, the silence between them growing to uncomfortable levels by now.

"No rum," Jack frowned. " 'Lizbeth, didn't you take a bottle of good ol' rum with ye from the Pearl?" He asked, with his low, scratchy and seductive voice. His eyes peered deeply into hers.

"Empty," Elizabeth said and smiled apologetically, looking down at her feet.

"Ah," he said and walked off to the forest.

He knocked on a tree, before slowly leaning his ear against it, knocking on the wood again, listening intently. When it didn't satisfy him, he hopped away, over to another one, taking big steps, counting them out loud. He repeated the exact same process. Knock. Listen. Knock. Listen.

Elizabeth frowned as she watched him, repeating this over like a sort of mantra. When the fifth tree didn't satisfy him either, he staggered off again, walking deeper into the small forest. "Jack!" She called after him, following him closely.

He turned around, and silenced her with a finger to his lips, his green emerald ring shining in the sunlight. When she lifted her hands in surrendering position, his lip quirked upwards a bit, in a very small, but kind smile.

Knock. Listen. Knock. Listen.

He shook his head and jumped up and down in the sand a bit, letting out a frustrated groan so soft, it was almost inaudible. He went over to the seventh tree.

Knock. Listen. Knock. Listen.

"That's enough!" Elizabeth suddenly yelled, fiercely. "What are you doing?"

Jack turned to her, the beads in his hair making a tingle sound because of the velocity. "I am tryin' to find us some rum, since ye didn't save any!" He said, his voice low and sounding a little more dangerous than she was used to.

"Oh sure, if I had known you would come here, I'd have saved you some," Elizabeth retorted sarcastically. "Bloody rum, I could have known that's the only thing you care about, is that why you're here Jack?" Elizabeth asked, as he jumped up and down in the sand again, hoping to find a hidden door to a small room. She remembered seeing it on the other island, where rum runners put the rum, to hide it. He was probably hoping they had used this island too, but it didn't look like it.

Jack looked back at her, she could infuriate him so much. Of course he didn't come here for rum, if he would be looking for rum he'd go to Tortuga. But he couldn't very well tell her that his compass was playing tricks on him, could he? "No. No, of course not. What makes y'think that?" He slurred a bit.

Elizabeth's face lighted up in a self-satisfied smirk. She'd caught him off guard. "So, why is it you're here then Jack?" She asked sweetly, looking at him, her eyes sparkling.

Jack let out a groan, throwing up his hands before he let them fall to his sides again. "Alright, you drug it out of me. I'm in search of something valuable, and my compass pointed me here," he said, regretting it the moment the words had left his mouth.

Elizabeth smiled gently, but didn't quite believe him. "Let me see it Jack."

"No," he playfully pouted and sat down in the sand, then he thought of something. Maybe, if he could convince her that he would share the Fountain of Youth with her, so she could live eternally with Will, she would help him find it. If she wanted it bad enough, the compass would point the Fountain for her. He grinned a bit and looked at her. "I'm going to need yer help."

With wide eyes Elizabeth shook her head. "No, no I'm not just going to do you a favour. Get... Gibbs to do it, or I don't know who. Not me," she said.

"Well Master Gibbs isn't here now, is he?" Jack asked as he grabbed his compass and gave it to her. "Where does it point?"

Elizabeth slowly opened it and looked at the spinning needle. It didn't spin for too long before it landed right on Jack. She blushed a little bit, trying to hide it. "It's still spinning," she lied, having become almost as good as that as he was.

She closed the compass and threw it back at him, crossing her arms as she sat down in the sand next to him. "So why does your compass point to this island?" She asked, more to herself than to him, so she wasn't surprised when he didn't answer her. She remembered how he had told her that his compass pointed to the one thing you wanted most in this world. What could possibly be here on this island that meant so much to him?

She didn't allow herself to think about the possibility he wanted her. Of course she wanted him too, but it just couldn't be. She had to keep telling that to herself. _It can't be. _

She looked to her side and saw Jack had lain down on his back, his eyes closed. He looked tired, she noticed. "What are you looking for anyway?" She asked, suddenly curious what his latest venture would lead to, or at least where he hoped it was going to lead to.

He cracked one eye open. "That's between me and a certain compass… for now," he muttered and sat up. He looked at her for a moment, and successfully changed the subject. "Have y'eaten anything since ye left the Pearl, 'luv?"

She blinked a bit, and suddenly felt her stomach growl at her. "Not more than a little fruit," she admitted. It touched her that he cared about her in this way.

"Ah," he acknowledged and got up, swaying to his tiny boat.

She immediately jumped up, going after him. "Jack where are you going?" She asked, afraid that he might leave her alone on this island again. "I'm coming with you."

Jack turned back to look at her. "I'm just grabbin' a lil' something to eat dear," he said and looked at her with a smirk. "What'd y'think I was gonna do, eh?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with joy. She knew he enjoyed moments like this very much, moments where he could render someone speechless.

He knelt down in his little boat and rummaged around a bit. When he came back he had a few pieces of bread and some apples, green apples.

Elizabeth smiled a bit to herself, as she accepted the food. "Thank you Jack."

"You're welcome," he smiled a bit as they sat back down together on the beach, enjoying the silence between them as they watched the sun sink in the sea. He suddenly started humming a bit and Elizabeth tried to make out a melody.

"What's that song Jack?" She asked.

He smirked. "Just a song I learned a lot time ago, good ol' memories I tell ye," he said and drifted off in thoughts for a bit.

"Let's hear it," she whispered, remembering that's how he wanted to hear the 'bad eggs' song as he liked to call it.

"No," he shook his head. "I don' sing too good without rum love," he said, his mood not really cheerful at all. She knew he was pissed off, angry about a few things. He lost the Pearl, his compass didn't 'work' and the rum was gone. But he still kept it bearable… for her.

"Please Jack?" She asked sweetly.

He let out a sigh, surrendering. "Fine," he said and hummed a bit more before he started singing. It was indeed a little off key, but she didn't care.

"The sun came up on the Spanish sea, our homeland far behind us. Being junted by the King's Navy, it's sure he'd never find us. Pull away me lads of the Wicked Wench, and hoist the Jolly Roger," Jack sung, thoroughly enjoying it.

Elizabeth interrupted him and frowned. "The Wicked Wench?"

"The Pearl, love, before she… became the Pearl," Jack grinned.

Elizabeth chuckled a bit. "What about the rest of the song?" She asked, hoping to hear more of his voice.

Jack finished the song, and for the most of the afternoon they just enjoyed their time at the beach, making a fire and just talking like good old times. When a nice silence fell as a blanket on top of them, it set Elizabeth thinking about the past few weeks. "Jack…" she started, her tone serious.

"Yes love?" He looked at her, their gaze locking.

Suddenly she forgot what she wanted to ask him as his dark kohl-lined eyes stared into hers. She wanted to look elsewhere but found herself incapable. He had her under his spell, and he knew it. He knew exactly what he was doing, torturing her, and he liked it. Her pulse was racing harder with each second that passed and she noticed how his face was slowly coming closer, like a cat upon its prey. His eyes were dark as they were still connected with hers, he didn't blink. Her gaze dropped down to his lips for a mere moment and she noticed his quirky grin. This was all the encouragement he needed as he pressed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss.

She was shocked, her lips frozen against his warm ones. But not for long. Slowly, as though time was running only half as fast, she opened her mouth for him. Her hands came to a rest on his shoulders as she invited his familiar tongue into her mouth. But then, everything changed. Pictures of her and Will flooded back into her mind and she pushed Jack away from her, their lips breaking contact and eyes meeting again.

"I can't do this Jack," she whispered.

Jack smirked. "Oh but I can. It's rum or wenches," he said and leaned in to kiss her again. "And since there's no rum…"

Elizabeth shook her head, "No."

He was grinning. "Lizzie, there's no need to hold in… Will's already turned into a reincarnation of dear ol' snort face anyway," he grinned, flashing his golden teeth at her.

She frowned. "Snort face?"

"Tuna breath… Fish head… Whatever you want to call him, love," Jack said. At her frown he elaborated, "Davy Jones."

"Will doesn't turn into one of those…" Elizabeth though of a name to describe the monsters. "…creatures," she whispered. "As long as true love awaits him, he will stay normal, human."

Jack looked at her with an amused smile. "Aye, but true love isn't awaiting dear William, now is it?"

Elizabeth contemplated his comment for a minute, before her eyes narrowed and her hand came into contact with his left cheek as she slapped him. "You pirate!"

He instinctively put his hand over his now heated cheek, rubbing it slightly before grinning. "Come come love, that is not an insult, it's a life style."

"You know what? You are a worthless, dirty, moral incapable, annoying rum-soaked pirate!" She yelled, the stream of harsh, intimidating words coming easily from her mouth. That in itself came as a shock to her, but she didn't take the time to think about it.

"Fine," he said, "although you're wrong about the rum," he added, swaying in place. "And also you are the most naïve and infuriating wench I ever knew!" He raised his voice just as she had, just to mess with her. He'd already turned away before she could slap him.

After half an hour of silence, they'd both calmed down. Elizabeth then remembered what it was she wanted to ask him before he kissed her. She looked at him, her gaze cold and still slightly angry. "Why did you kill Will?" She inquired, her hand raised slightly as if she was about to slap him again.

Jack grabbed her hand to prevent her from slapping him. "Technically… it was Davy Jones that stabbed your dearly beloved, aye?" Before she could interrupt and tell him that he should have stabbed the heart before Davy Jones stabbed Will, he continued, "in the end, I did the both of us a favour, and now I'm here to claim me prize," he smirked.

"You brute!" Elizabeth raged, "Go! Get away from me!" She yelled.

"Very well then," Jack grinned and threw her the compass, walking backwards towards his little boat, "in case you need me."

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**TBC**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter II:**

The next morning the first sunrays shyly crept over the horizon, bathing the beach in pleasant light and warmth. Slowly but steadily Elizabeth could feel the sand warm up underneath her body, waking her from her light slumber. She hadn't been able to fall asleep easily the previous night, thinking about what Jack had told her. She wasn't quite sure if she could believe his words though, he'd lied and deceived her before, just like he did to everybody. Why would he act any different now?

With a sigh she hoisted herself up on her arms, looking out over the ocean. She'd left Jack on the other side of the island yesterday, needing to clear her mind on what he'd said. He'd infuriated her, and she hadn't been able to bear to spend the night in his presence. She looked at the compass he'd given her, looked at it as if it was her worst anymore, for it held the truth she couldn't yet accept. Slowly she flipped it open and immediately looked away, unable to face the needle pointing exactly to where she dreaded to go.

iOh, come on Lizzie, grow up./i She told herself, not even noticing she was using the same nickname for herself as Jack used for her. Finally she brought the compass up eye level and looked at it, the needle pointing steadily behind her. She sighed and closed it, standing up, wiping the sand off her dress. Grabbing the empty rum bottle that had been lying next to her, she walked towards the shore, kneeling down to wash her legs and feet. Then an idea came to her mind and she filled the bottle completely with the salty water, going in the direction the compass had pointed her.

Soon she spotted the tiny boat on the beach, still covered in shadow from one of the palm trees. With a small satisfied smirk she walked over to it, the bottle held up high as she saw Jack sleeping peacefully in the boat, an empty bottle held against him as a teddy bear. Slowly she started to tip the bottle, but before the water could hit Jack's face, she felt him grab her leg. She yelped in surprise and jumped back. "Jack!" She said, out of breath, "you… surprised me."

Jack looked up at the bottle in her hand, "I thought ye'd said ye didn't have any rum," he frowned and watched her face.

"It's water," she said and put the bottle down, waiting for him to let go of her leg. Part of her was thrilled he was holding her like that, so careful and gentle, but the bigger part of her didn't want this attention. She couldn't let him do this; she had to give Will and her a chance.

"Ah," he acknowledged and released her, his fingertips grazing against her silky skin. At her look he smirked, "Sorry love, couldn't help me self." Quickly he got up and grabbed his hat, putting it on. "Apple?" He asked her, bending down, grabbing two apples. When he saw her nod he threw one at her and took a big bite out of his one. Then he coughed and spit it out, "rotten," he muttered, before grabbing a new one.

Elizabeth looked down in his boat and spotted very little food. "Jack, we have to be careful with that if we want to survive," she said.

"Darlin', I can live four days on just a single peanut," he grinned, "well, half a peanut actually," he added as he rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger.

Elizabeth huffed, this was probably another one of his stories which didn't include a single part of truth. "Oh really Jack, and how would that be possible?"

Jack snickered. "It is possible love, want to know why?"

She sighed, "Fine tell me," she surrendered.

"Because I'm Captain Jack Sparrow," he grinned at her, his gold teeth flashing at her in the sun.

This had Elizabeth picking up a fuss, "Would you just quit that for once please?!" She yelled at him, thoroughly annoyed by his cocky behaviour. "If it weren't for you we would have been long off this island by yesterday afternoon, but no, we're still stuck here, aren't we?" She walked away from him and then turned back, her face showing anger. "We could've been on our way to saving… to saving Will!" Her voice cracked as she fell back into the sand, tears burning in her eyes. She didn't cry however, she couldn't cry in front of him.

Jack didn't grin at her fuss this time, he knew how hard it was for her to be here while her husband was out at sea. "Lizzie… I know you love the little whelp, but we can't possibly go and find him in that little dinghy of ours now can we?"

Elizabeth looked up at him, one tear sliding down her cheek. "I know…" she said, her voice pitchy. Her throat clenched with unshed tears and she had to swallow them away, she hated showing vulnerability in front of Jack.

Jack gave a small but soft smile as he held out his hand for her, helping her stand up.

For a moment they both remained in silence, each reminiscing in old memories. Then Elizabeth broke the silence by asking him once again how he thought it would be possible for them to survive with only that small amount of food.

This time Jack turned back to see what she meant. "Darling, it's only a few days back to Tortuga," he smirked.

"Tortuga?" She frowned and looked at him questioningly.

Jack sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Well, we be in the need of a ship and a crew to find the Fountain of Youth, savvy?" He explained.

"Jack, I told you I wasn't going to help you with anything," Elizabeth defended, anger building up inside her, as her breath began to grow a little heavier.

Jack noticed and his attention drew to her lips. Her increasingly growing anger made Jack go weak at the knees. He didn't want to admit it, but she looked so cute when she was angry. However, he knew that he wasn't going to hold on his game for much longer.

"Okay, now listen Lizzie," Jack started as he motioned for her to follow him. He sat down in the sand and patted the spot next to him for her to sit down. When she did he looked at her for a moment. "Let me explain why you're coming with me," he said and cleared his throat. "The Fountain of Youth is… well I'm not quite sure what it is, just what it does," he muttered. "Anyway, when ye drink a few drops from the fountain, it'll make your life longer…"

Elizabeth interrupted him, impatiently, "Make your life longer… how?"

Jack chuckled at her jittery, "Hang on there darlin', I be not finished yet. Depending on how much of it you drink, you'll un-age… dis-age a few years, whatever. So if you drink too much, you'll be a little babe, savvy?" He nodded to himself. "So just a few drops will make ye a bit younger."

When Elizabeth comprehended it all, a smile started to form on her face. "So you want to share this thing with me? So I can be with Will forever, until he's finished his duties?"

"Not particularly no, but I need you to help ime/i find it. Because the compass will work for you if you want to find it badly enough. And if that works…" He paused. "Then I'll share the bloody thing with you, savvy?"

Elizabeth cocked her head a bit, "Why would I help you if I'm not certain you'll share it with me."

Jack groaned slightly. "Fine, I promise I'll share it with ye."

She arched her eyebrow, "How can I trust anything you promise me?" She asked harshly, having had some experience with his lies. Though she couldn't help but be excited about going on a little adventure with him though. Her throat clenched and she tried very hard not to let him notice.

Jack threw her a small playful pout, before he thought of something, "You have me compass," he said, smiling as he looked at his precious little box hanging on the belt that held her dress together, "that should suffice," he added.

After a few moments Elizabeth smiled, "Okay, fine. Worst case scenario, you won't share it with me, but at least I'll be off this bloody island."

**TBC**


End file.
